Ok, I am trying to have Al explain this to me, and I am gonna have brain melt down first.
He says the new inverter is NOT 75 Watts but 175 Watts. I went down down and got the literature, we have 175 watt with 300 watt peak inverter.
My HP (old computer) needs about 165 watts to run, this is an average and does not account for any extra that MIGHT be needed for start up. The inverter would "beep" at us in disgust, aka, it was running right at the limits of the inverter.
My Gateway (new computer) needs 264 watts to run, same parameters, this is the average and does not account for any extra that MIGHT be needed for start up.
The 175 watt inverter just does not have the guts to run the new Gateway!
Any inverter we have seen that is more than 175 watts MUST be hardwired to the battery. The thing is, the 175 watt inverter plugs into the cig lighter and the limitation, according to my electrician friend here, is that the wires on the cig plugs are too small to handle more.
NOW, that said, if anyone has or has seen a inverter that is LARGER than 175 watts and plugs into the cig lighter, PLEASE let us know where and how much and all the details! We want one!
Carol